Performance Unlimited Blog

Winter creates two primary problem for driving in and around McHenry. One problem is traction. The roads get slick and it’s often difficult to maintain the kind of control of your car, truck or SUV that you enjoy in warmer seasons. Today, however, we’re focused on another problem – vision. The windshield and windows frost in the winter. Snow and ice build up on the glass impeding your view. You want a good snow brush and ice scrapper to clean the windshield and window before you drive. You also want a defroster that works. As you drive, falling snow and slushy rain continue to challenge your ability to see the road, other cars and pedestrians clearly. This is all the more the case when driving at night. snow brush These are the critical tools for maintaining a clear field of vision while driving your car, truck or SUV in the McHenry area: Good wipers Full washer solvent and properly operating sprayer Effectively operating heating defroster Good window scrapper and snow brush ...

With the exception of a couple rainy days, we’ve had some amazingly mild temperatures here in Johnsburg lately. It’s difficult to think of days when you’ll need to turn on the car, truck or SUV’s heater. Today, you’re more likely to use the air conditioning. But those cold days ARE coming. When the cold arrives, you’ll want to turn the temperature control knob from blue to red – from cool to heat. And when you do that, you want heat to come pouring out of the vents. You want the heat to warm your chilly bones. But, more than that, you want the heat to help clear the frost off your windshield. Yes, FROST!!! Your car, truck or SUV heater helps to ensure that you can operate your vehicle in comfort, once it warms up a bit. But the heater is also a safety feature. Frost will hinder your view and endanger your drive, whether you’re heading to Stucky’s Bar & Grill for a bite here in Johnsburg, or whether you’re headed out of town. The heater in your car, truck or SUV operates using...

Last week, this blog focused on the importance of maintaining fresh coolant/antifreeze in your car, truck or SUV with the approach of winter. Yes, we have some time yet, but it is coming. This week, this blog will focus on the other essential fluids you need to maintain your vehicle with the approach of another blustery McHenry County winter. What ‘other’ fluids are we discussing? There are several additional fluids in your car, truck or SUV, including: Engine oil Engine oil is critical to the reliable operation and durability of your car, truck or SUV’s engine. Engine oil provides lubrication between moving parts thereby dramatically reducing the heat those parts would otherwise create. The amount of heat that friction would cause would be catastrophic to your vehicle’s engine. Engine oil also carries away particles and fibers that could cause damage between moving parts. Many cars, trucks or SUVs run the same viscosity engine oil year-round, even if it’s a multi-viscosity oil...

Remember that Polar Vortex that crept through the Midwest and McHenry last January? Of course, you’d rather forget that experience, especially with another winter in the offing. Few of us enjoyed the blast of cold that wrapped the region in a deep, bone-chilling freeze particularly since the cold was extremely hard on our cars, trucks and SUVs. Extreme cold tends to illuminate the weaknesses in our vehicles. More than a few cars, trucks and SUVs were unable to start under the effects of the Polar Vortex. The cold may have exposed a weak battery. But some vehicles suffered worse than others. Some McHenry cars, trucks and SUVs suffered catastrophic problems. At its worst, the cold can literally break a car, truck or SUV’s engine – crack the iron block that contains all the moving parts involved in the 4-cycle process that generates thrust. It’s actually a fairly simple mathematical equation. The vehicle requires coolant to keep it from overheating during normal operating temperatur...

There was a time when power-assisted brakes were an accessory you paid extra for when buying a new car. Today, they’re pretty much standard equipment. But automotive technology has gone far beyond those earlier technologies. Consider that power-assisted brakes date back to the early 1920s when the technology was first installed on the Pierce-Arrow. Today, brakes come with ABS (Anti-lock Brake Systems) that pump the brakes more rapidly than any human can so that it’s easier to stop on slick surfaces without the brakes locking up and sending you into an uncontrollable spin. Even ABS brakes date back to 1929 with Gabriel Voisin developed ABS for use on aircraft for use while taxiing. In 1908, J. E. Francis developed a “Slip Prevention Regulator” for use on trains. The first years of the ‘70s were big for ABS. 1970, Ford added “Suretrack” ABS brakes as an option with the Lincoln Continental.  1971, Chrysler and Bendix Corporation introduced computerized ABS brakes, which they...